Freeman Chooses St. John's, Pitino's Hard-Nosed Style

0:00On April 21st, Donnie Freeman, the standout power forward from Syracuse, just committed to St. John's under Rick Patino. This 6-foot-9 sophomore from Washington, D.C., entered the transfer portal after two injury-riddled seasons with Orange, where he averaged. 16.5 points and 7.2 revounds per game as a sophomore. Earlier this week, news hit that Freeman picked the red storm over spots like Kentucky. Patino, who coached as an assistant at Syracuse back in the late 1970s, brings his hard-nosed style that matches Freeman's need to. Sharpen defense and hustle. Syracuse fans saw this coming after a coaching shake-up, with Freeman close to the old staff from the DMV area. The Orange finished 15 and 17 last season, losing 8 players to the portal out of 13 scholarship guys. St. John's crushed it at 37, snagging Biggie's titles and a sweet 16 run before falling to Duke. Freeman ranks as a four-star transfer. 15. Overall and 6th at his position.

1:02Patino's rep for molding pros makes this a perfect landing spot for Freeman to elevate his game and chase that next level.